We're All in This Together

I am often struck by disconnect between how much I want to do and how much I am physically and mentally capable of doing. Some of my favorite moments have come when I have been reminded that instead of focusing on what I can do, it is important to think of what WE can do. In an email a few years ago, someone on one of my committees wrote, "We have many things to do and many we want to do. But we rely, as we must, on each other to see that each is tended to . . . We hold each other. We will know you are holding us and trust that you feel held in return!" That came just before I was at a War Resisters League Conference and feeling overwhelmed by how much there is standing in the way of peace, and it was so important in my being able to positively process all of what I was learning about the military- and prison-industrial complexes. Knowing that I didn't have to take it all on myself made me feel empowered to do what I can. Ken Untener stated that "We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.  This enables us to do something, and to do it very well." How empowering - our role is to use our gifts to make the difference we can. All we can do is our best. Desmond Tutu writes, "Do your little bit of good where you are, its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” May it be so.